In many parts of the world women are valued based on their chastity. Whether you are in India, the Middle East, or even in the United States, there is a religious and cultural obsession with female virginity. The irony is that if a woman is found to not be a virgin (whether true or not), the punishment is often rape, or even worse, a stoning to her death.

The reality is that when we were young girls, we flaunted our Aphrodite energy with a twirl of our skirt, a shake of our hip, and our complete presence in our body. We didn’t question this natural energy that ran through our body and spirit. But at some point it got violated. Either physically, or even through one look. For some girls it was subtle and for some it was severe. But it all counted.

Aha. I knew what she was talking about. This was a kind of smart that I related to. This is a kind of smart that lies within my body, and lies within my soul. This is a kind of smart that feels unique to me. This is a kind of smart that helps me see what someone needs to take them the next step further in their life. This is the kind of smart that allows me to “see” things by feeling them first in my body. This is a feminine wisdom smart.

What happens when a woman doesn’t use her voice to express herself fully? I have been thinking a lot about this question lately, and have been struggling with using my own voice in a way that feels aligned with the bigger picture that I feel inside of me.

Wendi Knox is the creator of Oh My Goddess, a company whose mission is to inspire women to listen to their inner voice and unzip their true selves. After working her way up to be a Senior Vice President Creative Director at a big advertising agency in Los Angeles (she was the only woman in this position), Wendi was laid off. "I had been at my agency for 15 years -- it felt like family. It was a huge shock having to reinvent my life," said Wendi in an interview.

Could angel guidance be moving from marginalization to mainstream? While angel and spirit guidance may still sound marginal to some, you can think of it this way: “We have our national guards, our policemen, our volunteer crew, our army, and our navy. We have many levels of support in the human experience, and we have that same pantheon of support in the Divine realm as well,” says Sonia.

For more than 30 years, Sonia Choquette has been sharing with the world her wisdom and experience with six-sensory perception. Even when others thought she was a "kook" and a "deviant," she pressed on. She never let others' judgments prevent her from sharing what she knew to be true. Today, she is a world-renowned author, storyteller, healer, intuitive guide and spiritual teacher.

It is not easy thing to give up the security of a paycheck, health insurance and a supportive community. On the other hand, it can be even more difficult to suffer with the truth of what you know inside and not act on it.